Trolley



L .Tu nv e h s S Lb e nu h S 0D R E. Km A@ BO .R FT T... n d nv M .0 m

No. 437,961. Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

Isaac 173cm;- 'gq Altan-L?.

'mi 94mm P11-lu eo.. mma, www, o. e.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. I. P. BAKER.

TROLLEY.

[No Model.)

No. 437,961. Patented Oct. 7, 1890.

m M M s. ww .1 F

l. 1. I asin-ll l .llll

nu., summum., msmnnva, a. c.

No. 437,961. Patented ont. 7, 1890.

Ism Eiga/w UNITED STATES 'PATENT I ISAAC F. BAKER, OF LYNN,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE 'THOMSON- HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OFCONNECTICUT.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,961, dated October'7, 1890.

Application led November 18, 1889. Serial No. 330,715. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC F. BAKER,a subject of the Queen of England,and a resident of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Trolley, of whichthe following is a specification.

A My invention relates to devices employed connection withelectrically-propelled rail- -cars for maintaining an electricconnection between apparatus on the vehicle and a horizontal wire orconductor mounted parallel to the path of said vehicle.

My invention relates more especially to 2r, contact devices in which thetraveling electric contact, shoe, or trolley, which moves on theconductor, is carried by a pivoted arm and exerts an upward pressure onsuch conductor.

The object of my invention is to secure strength and compactness, aswell as simplicity and durability, in this class of apparatus; `to whichend my invention consists in the particular features of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter described, and then speciied in theclaims.

My invention relates, further, to means for preventing damage to thetrolley-arm if the trolley or contact should slip off the wire orconductor. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of anapparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 isa vertical section through the supporting-standard for the trolley orcontact arm. Fig. et is a side elevation showing a modification in thedetail of construction. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a detail.

B is a pivoted arm or rod of any suitable form and material, carrying atits outer end any desired electric contact device adapted to bear uponand maintain electric connection with a properly suspended or supportedlongitudinal wire or conductor L. The contact device isphere shown as atrolley, although it might be the usual or any other form of contact.The contact or trolley arm B is branched or bifurcated at its lower end,as shown in Fig. 2, and is pivoted at P on 5o lugs or extensions b froma rotatable standard or support S. The latter is preferably mounted torotate in a horizontal plane or plane transverse to the plane in whichthe arm turns on pivot P. This rotatable support is preferably made as asleeve,'which is 5g borne upon a plate M and turns around aA spindle H,projecting upward from said plate.

At its inner or lower end .below the pivot P the contact or trolley armis provided with one or more arcs or sectors B2, preferably attached tothe branches of the arm or bar. Connected to these arcs or sectors arethe springs WV, which tend to turn the arm B, so as to cause thelcontact or trolley to` press upon the wire or conductor L. The springs:lV are attached at one end to a frame or arm A A2, extending from thepivoted support S and carried thereby, and are connected to thetrolley-arm through flexible straps or connections R, which are'adaptedto ride upon the curved bearing-surface of the arc or sector. The arm orextension A A2 consists of two rods joined at their outer ends. At theirends next the rotatable standard or support S one of them is fastened bya bolt to such standard,while the other A2 enters a socket S2, connectedto the standard or support, and forms a stay-rod to hold the arm A2against displacement by 'the action of the spring or springs NV.

In order that the pressure of the contact or trolley upon the wire Lmaybe made approximately constant, no matter what the inclination of thebar B and the pull of the spring VV,I prefer to introduce between saidspring and the trolley a pressureequalizing device of some suitableconstruction adapted to give a mechanical advantage to the spring W whenbut slightly extended and when the arm B is nearly upright. It isobvious that under the condition just mentioned the pressure would bemuch less than when the inclination of the armV is great, under whichlatter condition the pull of the spring W and the press ure of thecontact might be excessive. To obtain this equalization of pressure, Ipropose to form the arc or sectorB in the manner indicated in Fig. 5, sothat the point of bearing of the exible connection R upon such sectorwill be farther from the pivotal point me P when Y the spring isslightly extended, so that the leverage will be lessunder the lattercondition and the pressure on the wire L will be less than it would beif the connection W always had the same leverage upon the arm B. In eectit will be seen that the arc is formed on a curve eccentric to the pivotI and in such way that the end of the arc nearest the spring shall benearer to the pivotal point than the part next which the end of theconnecting-strap or flexible connection R is attached. By properlyforming the arc or curve of such arc the upward pressure of the trolleymay be made approximately uniform during a movement of the bar from ahorizontal to an upright position. As will be obvious, this is anexceedingly important result.

In ordinary constructions, if the trolley or contact should slip oft`the wire or conductor W, the trolley arm or bar would be thrownviolently forward by the spring which produces the pressure, and the baror arm by striking upon the roof of the car would be apt to be broken orto damage t-he car. I 0bviate this difficulty by providing a springsafety-stop which shall take up the shock of the blow produced by themoving arm or bar when it has moved forward a certain distance afterescaping from the wire. Such a spring safety-stop may be formed by astii blade spring C, fixed to the support S and arranged to be engagedby some part moving with the trolley-arm-as, for instance, by across-rod E, connecting the two sectors. The bladespring S is located,as shown, so that it will be engaged by the cross-rod by the time thatthe arm assumes the vertical position and before itcan have acquired anygreat momentum under the action of the pressure-spring- Another form ofspring safety-stop that might be employed is shown in Fig. 4. Here thespring C is a spiral extensible spring and connects with the bar B by aloose ilexible cord or chain D, which is given suiiicient slack not tointerfere with the ordinary movement of the arm B. Should thetrolley-wheel slip oif the wire, this slack is taken up and Vthe springC acts as a stop to destroy the l.' The combination, with the pivotedelectric trolley or contact arm and the spring tending to swing theouter end of the arm towardthe electric wire or conductor, of abuffer-spring C, mounted on the standard or support for said pivoted armand arranged, as

described, to be struck by a part attached toV the arm at or about thetime said arm as-- sumes a vertical position.

, 2. The combination, with the electric contact or trolley armbifurcatedat its lowerend Y' and terminating in the two segments, asdescribed, to which the pressure-springs connect, of across-barconnecting said segments and a stop-spring vadapted to be engaged by"' isaid cross-bar when the trolley escapes the conductor.

3. The combination, with the rotatable support S, carrying the pivotedcontact or trolley arm, of a rod or arm A, extending from the same, astay-rod A2, and a spring connected at one end to said rods and at itsother to the pivoted contact or trolley-arm.

4. The combination, with the pivoted trolley-arm and the spring tendingto swingV the outer end of the arm toward the line-conductor, of aspring safety-stop arranged to be engaged by parts connected to the armfor checking the movement of the arm above the line-conductor.

Signed at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, this15th day of November, A. D. 1889.

IsAAo vF. BAKER.

Witnesses J. WESLEY GIBBONEY, E. F. BACHELLER.

